I threw my third box of
conversation hearts onto my bed, a big gusty sigh coming out of my lips. I
looked at the stack of various Valentine’s Day cards and candy, most of them
from the boys in my class. Not one of them was from the boy I truly wanted one
from. Kenai. My best friend. I always
wanted to be more though, but he never suggested it, nor did he show that he
wanted the same. I, on the other hand, have been practically jumping up and
down, my arms flailing in front of his face, since seventh grade. I grabbed a
box of jelly beans and popped it open, tipping it up and letting a few tumble
into my mouth. I chewed furiously, my eyes narrowing with defeat. My gaze swept
across the room, lingering at my surfboard in the corner of my room, leaning
against the wall. I stood up; swallowing the jelly beans I had in my mouth
before popping a few more in. I smiled mischievously, grabbing my board and
swimsuit that was hanging off of it. I stuffed the box into my pocket and
elbowed my door open, maneuvering through the hallway and to the front door,
grabbing my house keys off the key rack. I didn’t call out a bye, since my
parents weren’t home and weren’t going to be until after dinner. I had loads of
time. I started to walk down the road,
my flip flops slapping on the ground in a steady rhythm. It was pretty warm, so people were crawling
the sidewalks. Mostly were tourists though. Everyone wanted to come to Hawaii
this time of year. When it’s cold, they all seemed to migrate to warmer
places. I felt sand start to brush up my
legs, signaling I was close to the beach. A smile crept onto my features as I pushed
through the brush entrance my friends and I had created that entered into our
cave. I remade our camouflage and then set my board down carefully on this rocky
floor. I quickly changed into my suit and threw my clothes under my assigned
rock before pulling my board back up and jogging towards the water. I saw a
familiar head bobbing up and down in the waves, about 10 or 20 feet out. I
smirked evilly and threw myself and my board into the water, paddling out as
fast as I could. He heard me gasping for breath and turned around, smiling
lightly.
“Alishanee! How’s it?” He asked,
pulling the tip of my board forward, letting me rest a little.
“Pretty good! How ‘bout you?” I
asked, peering out toward the waves.
“Eh, trying to lay low from the all
the girls. Only way to do that was come out here. Those girls don’t like
getting their hair wet.” He chuckled, and I couldn’t help but laugh. A wave
came toward us, and Kenai grabbed my hand, making sure our boards didn’t
separate. It wasn’t good enough to get anything out of, so we waited until the
water leveled out enough. The minute it did, he ripped his hand from mine like
it was on fire.
“Sorry.” He mumbled, picking some
of the paint off of his board.
“I didn’t mind.” I shrugged,
sticking my finger in the water and drawing circles. I turned towards him and caught his shocked
expression.
“What? Chill, brotha! I’m not gonna
jump you in the middle of the freaking ocean!” I gestured all around me to
emphasize the word.
“Didn’t say you were!” He said,
adding a, “Wish you would though.” Under his breath.
I sighed and watched the waves
again. “Today is Valentine’s Day, ya know.” He said, giving me a side glance.
“I know.” I said automatically, my
brow furrowing. My hands absentmindedly running through the water.
“They're doing a big luau thing down
on the beach a little bit later.” He added, a little bit of hope in his voice.
“Yeah?” I asked, turning towards
him with a 100 watt smile aimed directly at him.
“I was hoping to…” He trailed off,
staring back at me. His gaze flicked
over to the water. I could have screamed in anticipation. This was it. This was
the moment that Kenai would finally make what we had even better. I quickly
deflated when he pointed out at the water.
“Look at that wave! We gotta catch
that! Come on Shanee!” He said, quickly turning his board around and beginning
to paddle. I started muttering a string of colorful words his way, following
after him desperately. We both managed to catch a few decent moments on the
wave, riding it out toward the shore.
Kenai was the first one there, shaking his hair like a dog.
“That was awesome, huh Allie!?!” He
yelled, sticking his board in the sand and leaning down, tearing the ankle
string off before sitting down.
I laughed loudly and did the exact
same thing, sitting down next to him. “Heck yeah! Haven’t caught one like that
in awhile!” I pulled the hair that clung to my face back and smiled at him. His
tan skin sparkled from the water beads reflecting off the sun, causing his abs
to glisten. His deep brown eyes shining in excitement and adrenaline. His
brown-black hair was sticking up in various directions, making him look like an
escaped mental patient.
“Whatchya staring at?” He asked,
laughing slightly. I caught myself and shook my head, ceasing my train of
thought.
“Um, nothing.” I smiled lightly at
him.
“Hmm. About that luau…” He said,
trailing off again.
“What about it?” I asked, the
excitement building back up inside me. I felt like a kid right before their
parent’s announced that they were going to Disneyland.
“I was wondering if maybe…you and
I…” He gestured in between us.
“Yes?” I almost screamed at him. He
leaned back slightly, chuckling.
“That you and I could go and hang
out there?” He blurted out, holding his breath waiting.
I pounced on top of him, making his
board fall over. “I have been waiting
for you to ask me that for ten dang minutes!” I yelled, making him laugh
loudly. He flipped me over.
“Sorry I kept you waiting.” He
growled, and his lips met mine for the first time.
Valentines Day
By Julie
Short Story
I've been hurt to many times to count. My face was classic, a nice heart-shape, I had blond hair, and blue eyes. I was very small. I was sitting in front of my school, I was always showing up early.
"Hey, Saphirre, early again?" Xavier asked sitting next to me. I looked at his classic face, he was cute. He was my best friend, he might not be movie-star cute, but I still liked him.
"Hey Xavier, what's up?" I asked looking at him and smiling. No matter how much I loved him, I couldn't let my heart open again, only to be hurt. I got up and tried not to show my slight limp as I walked to the other side of the doorway.
"Saphirre, why are you limping? Did your dad get drunk again?" he asked, concerned.
"It's nothing, you don't need to worry about it, my fault," I said, looking away.
"Don't lie to me, you know it's not your fault, it's your father's fault," he said kneeling in front of me. "Saphirre, don't let him do this to you anymore, you miss school, work, time out with friends because of your father."
"What are you saying?" I whispered.
"Let me take you to CPS(Child Protection Service), they'll take care of you Saphirre, please. I don't want you to be hurt anymore," he looked at me as he stood up and held his hand out to me.
I silently took his hand and let him lead me to his car where he took me silently to CPS. He led me in where I told them my story of an abusive, drunk father, and a mother in depression.
They sent me to Florida to live with a new family. Over time, Xavier and I drifted apart.
Three Years Later
"Saphirre," Elizabeth said, trying to get my attention.
"Huh, what?" I asked, looking over at her.
"Are...You...Excited...?" she said deliberately.
"A little, maybe a little scared that I'll run into my father...or mother," I said.
"You're going home for a while, he's moved, I checked before I agreed to come here for your seventeenth birthday."
"Thanks," I said, looking out the window and waiting impatiently until we got to California.
When we landed, Elizabeth and I got a cab and went to a bed and breakfast. We were only five minutes, by walking, by walking, away from my old school.
"Elizabeth, I'm going for a walk, down to my old school," I called as I headed for the door.
"Take your phone, call if you're going to be out after cerfew," she called.
I walked to the school and into the field as school let out. I saw the beginning of football practice.
When I started to leave, I heard a voice call my name- "Saphirre! Wait, Saphirre!"
I turned, confused that a male voice was calling my name. When the guy was close enough to see his face, I immediately knew who it was.
"Xavier!" I yelled, running forward and opening my arms for a hug. He picked me up and whirled me around in several dizzying circles.
"I didn't know you were coming! You should have called me!" he said happily.
"I lost your number. God I've missed you Xavier," I sighed as he set me on the ground and wrapped his arms tightly around me. "Xavier? Can I tell you something?"
"Yeah, go ahead," he said pulling back and smiling back and smiling down at me.
"I've always loved you," I whispered.
"I've always loved you too, Saphirre," he replied, looking down at me with soft eyes. He leaned down and brushed his lips over mine. "Happy Valentines Day Saphirre," he whispered against my lips.
The End
